Olney On Glavine, Dunn, Penny
ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders where Tom Glavine will land and comes up with a couple options. The Rangers, who are looking to shed Vicente Padilla, "will probably talk about Glavine." Olney says the pitcher could also "fit cheaply" with the Marlins and former Braves coach, Fredi Gonzalez. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Adam Dunn fits Boston's needs, but the Nationals would want a "big-time pitching prospect" in exchange for the slugger. The two teams match up well, but Olney warns this doesn't mean we'll see a deal.
- The Phillies heard that the Red Sox would want infielder Jason Donald in exchange for Brad Penny.
- The Reds are looking for a third baseman.
- Olney hears buzz that the Mariners may pass on Dustin Ackley, who's considered the best college hitter in the draft. If that's the case, the Padres would consider him and Donovan Tate with their 3rd pick.
- The Brewers are "actively looking" to improve their team.
Heyman On Contenders’ Needs
Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Dodgers would have to overpay for Jake Peavy, the Red Sox are going after bats and the Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez. Here are the details:
- It's unlikely the White Sox could pry Cliff Lee away from the Indians.
- The Brewers aren't sure whether they'll go after a hitter or a pitcher.
- Heyman cites a source who says the Dodgers believe they'd have to pay "insanely" more than anyone else if they want to acquire Peavy. That's not much of a problem for the Dodgers, who are looking strong as-is.
- The Red Sox are "aggressively seeking help," according to their competitors.
- The best player they have a realistic shot at is Victor Martinez. If the Red Sox are going to deal for V-Mart, they'll likely have to part with young pitching.
- Along with Nick Johnson and Aubrey Huff, Heyman says Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are "possibilities" for the Red Sox.
- Not surprisingly, the Mets would not deal Fernando Martinez for Matt Holliday.
- The Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez.
- The Cubs remain the favorites for Peavy, though they haven't called the Padres about him recently.
- The Yankees, Angels and Rangers are looking for relief help.
- One AL exec believes Erik Bedard would not adjust well to the attention if he's dealt to the Phillies.
- And could George W. Bush team up with Nolan Ryan to re-purchase the Rangers?
Odds And Ends: Eyre, Michael Taylor, Borkowski
Tonight all eyes will be on Randy Johnson as he goes for his 300th win. Here are some links to keep you going until then…
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies are in no hurry to deal prospect Michael Taylor, who's slugging over .600 at Double A. Taylor understands that, as a corner outfielder, there's not much room for him in Philly. Could Taylor be a trade chip as the Phillies look to add pitching?
- Andy Martino of the Inquirer reports that Scott Eyre says he's "more than 90 percent" sure he'll retire after this year. Eyre, 37, has pitched for five teams in 13 seasons.
- Roy Halladay threw 133 pitches last night and ESPN.com's Rob Neyer hopes for Halladay's sake that it isn't the beginning of a trend though he doesn't criticize Cito Gaston's decision to let Doc pitch.
- Baseball America has more minor league transactions. Dave Borkowski was released by the Astros after he was designated for assignment.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer revisits the Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez deal and asks Reds fans whether they like the deal for their team.
Odds And Ends: Peavy, Cards, Strasburg
More links for Tuesday…
- As David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out, the Phillies already have $94.5MM committed to next year's roster, so adding Jake Peavy would require good accounting or, perhaps more available money.
- Cardinals fans voted Mark DeRosa as the player they'd most like to acquire to play third in this poll on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's site.
- Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch suggests John Mozeliak "will almost certainly deal from his pitching depth" to obtain some infield help.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Jordan Schafer has been sent to the minors, as the Braves' outfield problems continue.
- The AP (via the Miami Herald) reports that Stephen Strasburg is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the top amateur player in America.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail is proud of the progress his team has made in the minors, according to Steve Melewski of MASN.com.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says he expects this to be the year that Roy Oswalt is dealt (via Twitter).
Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Peavy, Indians, Torre
More links for Monday…
- Chad Finn of the Boston Globe lists a number of players for the Red Sox to consider and asks fans which one would be best for the team. Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez, neither one of whom is currently available, were the most popular choices.
- Don McKee of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Jake Peavy would be perfect for the Phils.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Grady Sizemore's injury makes the Indians more likely to sell players like Carl Pavano and Mark DeRosa.
- Joe Torre isn't sure whether he'll manage after next year according to this AP story found on ESPN.com.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune writes that Jim Hendry and the Cubs "picked the wrong guy" when they signed Milton Bradley instead of Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn last winter.
- Steve Melewski of MASN.com looks back at August 15th, 2007, the night the Orioles signed Matt Wieters. We could have a similar night in a couple months when Scott Boras, who represents Wieters, will negotiate with the Nats over Stephen Strasburg.
Heyman On Phillies Rotation Options
SI.com's Jon Heyman spoke with Ruben Amaro Jr. and heard that the Phillies GM is after "depth at the top of the rotation." Here are the specifics of Heyman's analysis:
- The Phillies want a "more established" player than Antonio Bastardo to replace the injured Brett Myers.
- Amaro admits that swinging a deal is "tough to do" even with expendable young players like John Mayberry Jr., Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald.
- Jake Peavy remains a logical fit, but there's no indication he'd accept a deal to Philly.
- Erik Bedard, at $7.75MM this year, fits within the Phillies' budget.
- Heyman agrees with Buster Olney: there's no guarantee Roy Oswalt will be dealt, but he would interest the Phillies.
- Cliff Lee hasn't hit the market and Blue Jays people maintain that Roy Halladay isn't available, but Amaro isn't shying away from any top pitchers that become available. He says he wants "the best [he] can get." It appears that Brad Penny would not be enough for Philadelphia.
- Chris Young and Aaron Harang are names to watch out for, as they could become available.
Olney On Oswalt, White Sox, Phillies
ESPN.com's Buster Olney discussed the market for pitchers on ESPN Radio; here are some bullet points worth passing along:
- Teams believe they could deal for Roy Oswalt, it would just take a whole lot of talent to acquire the pitcher, who's a favorite of Astros owner Drayton McLane.
- Pitchers perceive U.S. Cellular Field as a bandbox, which makes it less attractive to them. This is a problem the Yankees could face if the new Yankee Stadium continues to be so hitter-friendly.
- Olney predicts the Phillies will trade for a starting pitcher "at some point."
Odds & Ends: Penny, Yankees
Some bullet points from around the internet:
- Despite immensely enjoying his experience with the Red Sox, Brad Penny is not letting the trade rumors distract him, says Rob Bradford of WEEI.
- Chris Gimenez was promoted to replace Grady Sizemore who hit the 15-day disabled list today. Gimenez can play corner outfield and serve as a backup catcher, says Anthony Castrovince.
- River Ave. Blues takes a look at the Yankees 25-man roster and suggests better options for the bench.
- The Mets and Phillies are both seeking a starting pitcher. The Phillies want a front-of-the-rotation guy while the Mets want a bottom-of-the-rotation guy. New York Post columnist Larry Brooks wonders in jest which role Pedro Martinez could fill.
Odds & Ends: Ibanez, Pettitte, Fontenot
Your Saturday evening links, with more to come…
- ESPN's Keith Law has made some significant changes to his Top 100 MLB Draft Rankings. It's subscriber-only, but a great read for those looking to catch draft fever.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times asks (and attempts to answer) a popular question: "What is going on with Raul Ibanez in Philadelphia?"
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues takes another look at Andy Pettitte's incentive-laden deal with the Yankees.
- Cubs manager Lou Piniella is high on Mike Fontenot at third base. "Fontenot is honestly our best option there," Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times. "When we get Aaron Miles back [from the disabled list] it will help the situation too. But we feel very comfortable with Fontenot at third, and we can use [Bobby] Scales and [Andres] Blanco at second."
Odds And Ends: Rangers, Brewers, O’Dowd
A few links for Saturday morning…
- Nolan Ryan could buy into the Texas Rangers according to this MLB.com article by T.R. Sullivan.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that the Rangers have the resources to "out-bid others for the likes of Erik Bedard" if they decide to trade for pitching help.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin said once again that he's not looking outside the organization for second base help, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Melvin said he's happy with Craig Counsell at second in the absence of Rickie Weeks.
- Now that the Phillies hope to acquire an impact pitcher, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com wonders whether the Mets might decide to get in the Phillies' way and go after an arm, too.
- As Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe reports, the Red Sox aren't about to implement a six-man rotation. The Sox will still have arms to spare so we'll continue to hear Brad Penny's name in trade rumors.
- Dave Krieger of the Denver Post says the next four months will be a "referendum" on Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd and his front office.
- As MLB.com's John Schlegel reports Stephen Strasburg struck out 15 in his most recent start, walking no one and allowing two earned runs on eight hits.
- Check out a discussion I had about the Jays and other MLB teams on TorontoSportsMedia.com.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff likes the Lance Broadway–Ramon Castro swap for the Mets.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle takes a look at Ed Wade's Kaz Matsui signing and doesn't like what he sees.